East Lancashire Hospice

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Patients and those close to them were positive about the care they received and felt listened to. Any concerns raised were dealt with promptly. They said they were comfortable and reported how supported they felt by all staff whether as an inpatient or outpatient. There was some engagement with external organisations and plans in place to reach out to a range of groups in the local areas. The service offered a range of inpatient and outpatient services that included bereavement support and group work. There was a café on site with activities to support nutrition. A number of events were arranged, aimed at the general public, to supplement income throughout the year. Despite the demographics of the area, the patients admitted were mainly of white British backgrounds which the provider indicated was reflective of cultural preferences for self-care amongst those from their ethnic communities and there was more likely to be access to the hospice community provision. Events had been held to encourage access from ethnic communities and are an ongoing feature of community engagement.

This service scored 96 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

Patients and those close to them said that they felt cared for right from the front door of the hospice in reception right through to the inpatient unit when the doctors and nurses listen to you. Most patients and those close to them that we spoke to shared positive feedback about the care they had received. Relatives reported that once admitted the care had been amazing. The nurses said they wanted to understand my mums needs.’ ‘I was supported with my spiritual needs and the minister came in to see me.’ I was given a book so I could identify the staff uniforms which corresponded to the staffing board in my room so I knew who was on that day. Everyone introduces themselves including volunteers. ‘I had wanted my partner to die at home but found the hospice was more appropriate for us in the end. I have been very happy with the hospice option and care provided.’ People spoke positively about the outpatient service and creative support and complementary therapies. One relative said they would give the service 20/10 and that their husband loved attending outpatient services such as creative support. Staff said patients and relatives could be heard laughing in the creative arts and therapies sessions some of which were delivered by volunteers. We observed a telephone call made from a nurse to patients regarding new referrals. We noted that advice covered what the service could offer including a night sitting service and addressed financial concerns raised. Pain relief was discussed and informed consent to refer to the hospices clinical nurse specialist (CNS) to triage and review their needs. Due to the issues raised on the call the nurse contacted the CNS for an earlier (priority) home visit to be arranged.

The service had been working with external organisations to raise the awareness of the service provision. They had reached out to local groups, including women’s groups, refugees groups, homeless charities and stakeholders. They had been in contact with local schools to support teachers and empower them in their support of children and young people dealing with grief reactions or potential loss. They welcomed visits from groups to see the facilities and what could be offered . The fundraising team reported good links with the local community with good contact with schools and colleges. Feedback from local Healthwatch partners was positive with the hospice engaging with them on two different projects in the last year. These included a project to review the dementia care pathway in the locality and bereavement support offer for over the age of 16 who are grieving. Healthwatch said the hospice had contacted them and was ‘keen to understand how they could collaborate more as they were keen to have a greater presence in the community.’ The provider shared communication with us from commissioners when they had to reduce bed occupancy during a period of high patient needs causing safety concerns as well as a routine quality report . The hospice worked with commissioners to manage a period of specific risk and commissioners complimented the hospice for their openness, transparency and professionalism in dealing with the situation.

There were activities that could be accessed as an outpatient. These included creative and supportive therapies (CAST) such as ‘crafting with clay,’ ‘chat and chill,’ ‘singing for fun,’ crafts, painting, table games and bingo. Events were planned throughout the year that the local community could access such as ‘light up a life’ at Christmas, an Iftar event during Ramadan, participating in dying matters week and issuing of a newsletter. For those whose first language was not English, an interpreter and translation service could be accessed. For hearing impairment interpreters who communicated British Sign Language (BSL) could be contacted. Staff had access to speech aids such as etch a sketch boards, flip charts and electronic tablets to support any communication need. The hospice was a dementia friendly environment with a group that met up each week. Four members of staff were designated as dementia champions. There was a therapeutic bathing service for patients with music and soft lighting . The hospice café was closed to the public for one day each week meaning the facility was available for small group privacy. Staff offered food taster pots. The catering team could provide specialist diets not on the menu and put on special events such as, a ‘date night’ meal, ‘Saturday night take aways,’ ‘football afternoon with mates,’ and valentines night. The hub kitchen offered six week baking and cooking courses with all kitchen surfaces and units made accessible for those in a wheel chair. Following death, staff followed cold body storage processes and used a cold blanket or adhered to cultural wishes. The provider held a should’s, musts and ought’s educational programme led by the hospice counsellors to raise awareness of being bereaved or for those experiencing loss. This was also shared with commissioners, care providers and the local Healthwatch to increase awareness. Since the launch of this programme referrals to bereavement counselling were said to have increased.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Equity in access during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Equity in experiences and outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.